Content about Pharmacist Society

April 9, 2013
Hannaford to donate bottle, can deposits to charity

Customers who recycle bottles and cans with deposit values at Greenback Redemption Centers in Hannaford supermarkets in New York state will have the option of donating the money to local charities.

ALBANY, N.Y. — Customers who recycle bottles and cans with deposit values at Greenback Redemption Centers in Hannaford supermarkets in New York state will have the option of donating the money to local charities.

April 9, 2013
Healthcare organizations can take better advantage of customer reviews, study finds

More Americans are looking for reviews and ratings to guide their healthcare decision-making as they spend more of their own money on health care, but they're not finding what they need, according to a new report by PricewaterhouseCoopers.

NEW YORK — More Americans are looking for reviews and ratings to guide their healthcare decision-making as they spend more of their own money on health care, but they're not finding what they need, according to a new report by PwC.

April 9, 2013
NASP appoints Jim Smeeding as executive director

The National Association of Specialty Pharmacy has named James Smeeding its first executive director, the group said. The announcement was made during its first Specialty Pharmacy Conference in San Diego, which drew more than 500 participants.

TAMPA, Fla. — The National Association of Specialty Pharmacy has named James Smeeding its first executive director, the group said Tuesday. The announcement was made during its first Specialty Pharmacy Conference in San Diego, which drew more than 500 participants.

Smeeding is the founder of the University of Texas College of Pharmacy's Center for Pharmacoeconomic studies and has worked for a variety of companies and organizations, including the TPG National Payor Roundtable, the Jestarx Group, Digital Health Dialog and others.

April 9, 2013
Pharmaceutical balance tipping to specialty side

The new world of targeted, specialized medicines — many of them bioengineered and many of them aimed at smaller and smaller segments of the population — isn’t just on its way. It’s here. And it’s going to radically change the practice of pharmacy.

Here’s an eye-opener: Specialty drugs will likely account for 50% of all drug costs by 2018, up from 28.7% of total prescription drug costs in 2012.

The new world of targeted, specialized medicines — many of them bioengineered and many of them aimed at smaller and smaller segments of the population — isn’t just on its way. It’s here. And it’s going to radically change the practice of pharmacy.

Here’s an eye-opener: Specialty drugs will likely account for 50% of all drug costs by 2018, up from 28.7% of total prescription drug costs in 2012.

April 9, 2013
S.C. health and human services director tours MinuteClinic location

A MinuteClinic location at a CVS store in downtown Columbia, S.C., got a visit from one of the state's top health officials recently.

COLUMBIA, S.C. — A MinuteClinic location at a CVS store in downtown Columbia, S.C., got a visit from one of the state's top health officials recently.

April 9, 2013
Uninsured, young adults less likely to take medications as prescribed, CDC study finds

A desire to save money is driving younger and older adults to request cheaper drugs from their doctors, but it's also driving younger adults not to take their drugs as prescribed, according to a new study.

NEW YORK — A desire to save money is driving younger and older adults to request cheaper drugs from their doctors, but it's also driving younger adults not to take their drugs as prescribed, according to a new study.

April 8, 2013
BioPlus adds 2-hour guarantee to patient referrals

BioPlus Specialty Pharmacy will notify physicians within two hours whether a patient has been accepted for treatment, the company said.

ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Fla. — BioPlus Specialty Pharmacy will notify physicians within two hours whether a patient has been accepted for treatment, the company said.

BioPlus said the new "2-Hour Patient Acceptance Guarantee" program would let physicians know if their patients could be admitted pending insurance qualifications or would not be admitted and triaged to another pharmacy.

April 8, 2013
Patients taking AstraZeneca RA drug show partial improvement

An experimental drug developed by AstraZeneca for rheumatoid arthritis produced mixed results in measurements of patients' conditions, according to results of a late-stage clinical trial.

NEW YORK — An experimental drug developed by AstraZeneca for rheumatoid arthritis produced mixed results in measurements of patients' conditions, according to results of a late-stage clinical trial.

AstraZeneca announced initial results of the phase-3 "OSKIRA-1" trial of fostamatinib, which it calls the first oral spleen tyrosine kinase inhibitor in development for RA.

April 8, 2013
Shift to Managed Medicaid shows some effects on patient care, but overall effect unclear, study finds

A growing number of patients on Medicaid are filling their prescriptions through Managed Medicaid plans instead of the fee-for-service model as states switch them over in an effort to improve patient care and cut healthcare costs, but the effects remain unclear, according to a new study.

PARSIPPANY, N.J. — A growing number of patients on Medicaid are filling their prescriptions through Managed Medicaid plans instead of the fee-for-service model as states switch them over in an effort to improve patient care and cut healthcare costs, but the effects remain unclear, according to a new study.

April 8, 2013
Specialty pharmacy conference brings together industry experts

A joint conference by the National Association of Specialty Pharmacy and the Association of Managed Care Pharmacy attracted hundreds of leaders from across the specialty pharmacy industry.

NEW YORK — A joint conference by the National Association of Specialty Pharmacy and the Association of Managed Care Pharmacy attracted hundreds of leaders from across the specialty pharmacy industry.

April 8, 2013
Teva introduces generic painkiller

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries has launched a generic opioid medication for treating pain, the company said.

NORTH WALES, Pa. — Teva Pharmaceutical Industries has launched a generic opioid medication for treating pain, the company said.

Teva announced the introduction of oxymorphone hydrochloride tablets.

The drug is a generic version of Endo Pharmaceuticals' Opana and will be available in the 5 mg and 10 mg strengths in bottles of 100 tablets.

 

April 5, 2013
Actavis to market, distribute authorized generic version of Valeant drug; Valeant to co-promote Actavis drug

Actavis will market and distribute an authorized generic version of a genital herpes ointment made by Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, the companies said Friday.

PARSIPPANY, N.J. — Actavis will market and distribute an authorized generic version of a genital herpes ointment made by Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, the companies said Friday.

The agreement centers around Zovirax, known generically as acyclovir, in the 5% strength. The Food and Drug Administration approved the generic version, made by Mylan, on Wednesday. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

April 5, 2013
Fruth opens 27th store in Ironton, Ohio

Fruth Pharmacy is opening its second store in the town of Ironton, Ohio, and 27th overall, the retail pharmacy chain said.

IRONTON, Ohio — Fruth Pharmacy is opening its second store in the town of Ironton, Ohio, the retail pharmacy chain said Friday.

The store, the 27th in the Point Pleasant, W.Va.-based chain, was formerly Staley's Pharmacy, an independent drug store. Owner Jim Staley, considering retirement, sold the store to Fruth. All the store's employees, including Staley and his sister, were offered positions, and most stayed, Fruth said. The chain also recently opened its 26th store in Ironton.

April 5, 2013
GSK tests lupus drug in patients with inflammatory blood vessel disorder

GlaxoSmithKline has started a late-stage clinical trial of a drug in patients with an inflammatory disease that affects the blood vessels.

LONDON — GlaxoSmithKline has started a late-stage clinical trial of a drug in patients with an inflammatory disease that affects the blood vessels.

The drug maker announced the start of a phase-3 trial of Benlysta (belimumab) in patients with vasculitis, a condition in which the body's immune system attacks blood vessels, leading to inflammation, disruption of blood flow and possible damage to the organs. The drug is being tested in patients with a common form of the disease known as anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies-positive vasculitis.

April 5, 2013
Japanese study finds link between baldness, heart disease

Men who go bald may be at increased risk of heart disease, according to a new study by researchers in Japan.

NEW YORK — Men who go bald may be at increased risk of heart disease, according to a new study by researchers in Japan.

The researchers, at the University of Tokyo School of Medicine, examined data on 36,690 men, finding that those who experienced vertex baldness were 1.32 times more likely to experience coronary heart disease than those without baldness and those who experienced frontal baldness.

The study, based on previously published medical studies, appeared on April 3 in the journal BMJ Open.

April 5, 2013
Novo Nordisk launches Race with Insulin contest with Charlie Kimball as spokesman

Novo Nordisk has launched a diabetes awareness sweepstakes in which the winners get a free trip to the 2013 IndyCar finale, the Danish drug maker said.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Novo Nordisk has launched a diabetes awareness sweepstakes in which the winners get a free trip to the 2013 IndyCar finale, the Danish drug maker said Friday.

The company announced that it had hired IZOD IndyCar Series Charlie Kimball as spokesman for its Race with Insulin contest. Kimball, the first licensed driver with diabetes to race at the highest level of the series, was diagnosed with the disease during a routine doctor visit in 2007 while racing in Europe and is a user of Novo Nordisk's NovoLog (insulin aspart [rDNA origin]).

April 4, 2013
Covis buys rights to five drugs from Sanofi

Swiss drug maker Covis Pharma will buy U.S. rights to five drugs from Sanofi, Covis said.

ZUG, Switzerland — Swiss drug maker Covis Pharma will buy U.S. rights to five drugs from Sanofi, Covis said Thursday.

April 4, 2013
Dementia costs more to treat than heart disease or cancer, study finds

The annual cost of treating dementia in the United States ranges from $157 billion to $215 billion, according to a new study by the RAND Corp.

NEW YORK — The annual cost of treating dementia in the United States ranges from $157 billion to $215 billion, according to a new study by the RAND Corp.

The research organization said that number meant dementia costs more to treat than cancer or heart disease, with the greatest cost coming from institutional and home-based long-term care, as opposed to medical services.

April 4, 2013
Dr. Reddy's launches generic osteoporosis drug

Dr. Reddy's Labs has launched zoledronic acid injection in the 5 mg-per-100-mL strength, the Indian generic drug maker Thursday.

HYDERABAD, India — Dr. Reddy's Labs has launched zoledronic acid injection in the 5 mg-per-100-mL strength, the Indian generic drug maker Thursday.

The drug, launched following its approval by the Food and Drug Administration, is a generic version of Novartis' Reclast and is used to treat osteoporosis. Reclast had sales of $355 million during the 12-month period that ended in February, according to IMS Health.

April 4, 2013
FDA grants tentative approval to Aurobindo HIV drug

The Food and Drug Administration has given preliminary approval to a drug made by Aurobindo Pharma for treating HIV infection, the drug maker said.

HYDERABAD, India — The Food and Drug Administration has given preliminary approval to a drug made by Aurobindo Pharma for treating HIV infection in developing countries, the drug maker said.

Aurobindo announced that it had received tentative approval for efavirenz/emtricitabine/tenofovir disoproxil fumarate combination tablets in the 600-mg/200 mg/300-mg strength. The drug is a generic version of Gilead Sciences' Atripla.

April 4, 2013
Florida Senate committee passes biosimilar bill

A committee of Florida's state Senate has passed a bill that could limit the use of biosimilars in the state.

WASHINGTON — A committee of Florida's state Senate has passed a bill that could limit the use of biosimilars in the state.

The Florida Senate Committee on Health Policy passed S.B. 732, sending it to the full state senate. The legislation would require pharmacists to inform doctors when a follow-on biologic was substituted for a brand-name biotech drug. The bill is similar to one signed into law last month by Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell.

April 4, 2013
Reports: Novartis launches new ad campaign aimed at young adults

Novartis is promoting the multiple sclerosis drug Gilenya to young people with a new ad campaign in several national magazine's and websites, according to published reports.

NEW YORK — Novartis is promoting the multiple sclerosis drug Gilenya to young people with a new ad campaign in several national magazine's and websites, according to published reports.

The New York Times reported that the Swiss drug maker had placed ads for its "Hey MS, Take This!" campaign in People, Shape and Self, as well as the website of women's magazines, in addition to online videos. The generic name of Gilenya is fingolimod.

April 4, 2013
URAC gives accreditation to PBM-owned specialty pharmacy

Washington-based accrediting organization URAC has accredited pharmacy benefit manager Catamaran Corp.'s specialty pharmacy brand, Catamaran said.

LISLE, Ill. — Washington-based accrediting organization URAC has accredited pharmacy benefit manager Catamaran Corp.'s specialty pharmacy brand, Catamaran said.

The PBM said BriovaRx had been awarded URAC's Specialty Pharmacy Accreditation. Catamaran said URAC offered the only third-party, voluntary accreditation program of this scope for the pharmacy benefit management and prescription services industry.

April 4, 2013
Valeant earnings per share could take hit in 2013 from herpes ointment generic

The Food and Drug Administration approval this week of a generic genital herpes ointment made by Mylan could make a slight dent in the stock price of the company that makes the branded version.

MONTREAL — The Food and Drug Administration approval this week of a generic genital herpes ointment made by Mylan could make a slight dent in the stock price of the company that makes the branded version.

Canada-based Valeant Pharmaceuticals International said that while it expected Mylan to receive approval for a generic version of Zovirax (acyclovir) ointment, it did not include the approval in its original budget expectations and thus expected its earnings per share in fiscal year 2013 to be reduced by 30 to 40 cents.

April 3, 2013
FDA approves Mylan genital herpes ointment

The Food and Drug Administration has approved a new drug for genital herpes made by Mylan, the drug maker said.

PITTSBURGH — The Food and Drug Administration has approved a new drug for genital herpes made by Mylan, the drug maker said Wednesday.

Mylan announced the approval of acyclovir ointment in the 5% strength. The drug is a generic version of Valeant International's Zovirax, used to manage initial genital herpes and in limited, non-life-threatening mucocutaneous herpes simplex virus infections in patients with compromised immune systems.